Hours before Galaxy S IV reveal, Apple’s Schiller bashes Android

It should come as no surprise that Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, thinks iOS is superior to Android. But in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he made the depth of his feelings clear. Along with disparaging comments about the platform's software update and fragmentation problems, he took particular issue with the overall experience of using an Android phone.

"When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with," said Schiller. "They don't work seamlessly together."

He went on to specifically call out low-cost Android phones, saying that the operating system "is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone" and that the experience on those phones in particular "isn't as good as an iPhone."

Not coincidentally, Schiller's comments to the WSJ come just hours before Samsung is due to announce its Galaxy S IV flagship phone. Samsung has emerged in recent years as the largest and most profitable of the Android handset vendors, and its Galaxy S III has traded blows with Apple's iPhone as the world's bestselling smartphone in recent months.

Some of Schiller's comments may be broadly true of the wider Android ecosystem—the update situation, at least, is just as bad as he says unless you're using one of Google's Nexus phones (and even that isn't always a guarantee). It's worth noting, though, that the Galaxy S IV is expected to include Android 4.2. That is, in fact, the latest major version of the software.

9 different accounts? I've done it several times. Just logged in with my Google ID.

Now compare this to my shock and surprise that when I wanted to do anything fancy with my iPod or iPad, I had to install iTunes on my PC (granted this is no longer a requirement, but it was not all that long ago, and Android's had stand alone devices that update and sync content for what - 4 years now?)

The line about "really cheap phones won't be as good as an (expensive) iPhone" seems just bizarre to me. I guess there are cheaper iPhones available if you're willing to use something a couple of years old, but still...

Funny that I experienced just what Schiller described when my employer purchased me an iPhone5. I had to sign in to everything over, and over, and over again. Once I set up my Google account, even after several warranty replacements, I only sign in once and everything is restored properly.

Not that I'm defending the lagging updates of non-Nexus phones, but the impact of running older Android builds is mitigated quite a lot by:

1. Many of the stock apps are decoupled from system level updates (gmail, maps, youtube, etc)2. Stock apps that ARE out of date can be completely replaced by 3rd party apps and become the default handlers for files or functionality.

Apple's major iOS updates contain updates to the core functionality that users have no other option to obtain except through Apple's updates.

What is this guy smoking? Android may have some problems but the cloud integration is not one of them9 accounts? Enter your Google password and you have email, cloud storage, all your apps, calendars, etc. Pp. And if I want to add a second one I get Dropbox the one cloud storage people actually want to use.

That part is actually so much superior to the always down Icloud that he should shut his piehole.

(and yes in software upgrading, hardware quality etc. Apple may still be better but definitely not the cloud integration)

"When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with," said Schiller. "They don't work seamlessly together."

That's weird...bringing up my accounts page shows one Google account, and one Facebook account. Great, even the Apple guy uses his Android phone better than I do.

"...you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with"

Mail, Calendar, GDrive, Google Now, GMusic = gmail account. Same/similar iOS features = iCloud/iTunes account. If you need Facebook, Twitter or other 3d party stuff then you'll need accounts on both platforms for those services. On my SGS3 I need to sign in exactly with one account for core services, one another for Skype (3d party stuff), on my iPad I needed to sign in with 2 core accounts: Google and iTunes and Skype (3d party stuff).

"...you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with"

Mail, Calendar, GDrive, Google Now, GMusic = gmail account. Same/similar iOS features = iCloud/iTunes account. If you need Facebook, Twitter or other 3d party stuff then you'll need accounts on both platforms for those services. On my SGS3 I need to sign in exactly with one account for core services, one another for Skype (3d party stuff), on my iPad I needed to sign in with 2 core accounts: Google and iTunes and Skype (3d party stuff).

Am I missing something? Or Schiller is smoking crack?

How else do you expect a multimillionaire to manage to use up so much money?

I mean, I've never known a guy with more than one penis, so expensive hookers can only manage to waste so much of it, but drugs, they don't even have a refractory period.

"...you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with"

Mail, Calendar, GDrive, Google Now, GMusic = gmail account. Same/similar iOS features = iCloud/iTunes account. If you need Facebook, Twitter or other 3d party stuff then you'll need accounts on both platforms for those services. On my SGS3 I need to sign in exactly with one account for core services, one another for Skype (3d party stuff), on my iPad I needed to sign in with 2 core accounts: Google and iTunes and Skype (3d party stuff).

except i have to sign on with a bunch of different IDs on my iPhone Phil, because iCloud, doesn't "just work."

there are WAY to many compromises in iCloud email for anyone used to exchange support, without even mentioning the ridiculous downtime iCloud services seem to always run into.

imessages never worked as advertised across all my devices, i have bits of conversations everywhere, until i ditched it for FB messenger, which truly offers up-to-date conversation history and notifications across all devices.

notes, reminders, etc. are always wonky at best, so hello evernote.

i could go on and on. iOS needs a good swift kick in the pants, and hopefully the post-Forstall group will deliver, but in the meantime, this is equivalent to a fecal throwing monkey moment, and it's just as hilarious.

Although the "free market" style of Android has problems, So does the "dictator" style of Apple. How many Android phones needed to be held in a certain manor or used in a case so that the owner could make a phone call? You know, the main thing that a phone is supposed to do....

...AND, the thing that gets me, you don't even have to sign in to any accounts! It just streamlines a lot of stuff. Whereas on Apple, if you don't do things the Apple Way... well, you're probably not using an iDevice, because you can't otherwise.

Andrew Cunningham / Andrew has a B.A. in Classics from Kenyon College and has over five years of experience in IT. His work has appeared on Charge Shot!!! and AnandTech, and he records a weekly book podcast called Overdue.